Sight for firearms.



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PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

J. WINDRIDGB. SIGHT PoR PIREARMS. yAPPLIGATION' FILED MAY 13, 1905.

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SIGHT EUR PIRBARMS. APPLICATION funn un 1a. 1905.

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Janis' if? 55W@ A UNITED sTATEs JAMES WINDRIDGE, OF MIDDLEFIELD,

PATENT OFFICE.

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE LYMAN GUN SIGHT CORPORATION, OF MIDDLEFIELD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SIGHT FOR FIREARNIS.

valo. 797,248.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

To all whom t may concern-f Be it known that I, JAMES WINDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middlefield, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sights for Firearms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to sights for firearms; and it has for its object to provide a rear sight adapted for application to the Mauser rifle and similar types of bolt-action firearms. In this class of firearms the construction of the bolt and its operating mechanism and the space required for its movements materially reduce the positions available for the rear sight and increase the difficulty of applying it.

My invention contemplates mounting the sight upon the bolt-stop of the rearm and it consists in the combination of the sight and bolt-stop and novel construction ofthe sightbase and its parts, whereby it is secured to the stop without auxiliary means of attachment or the necessity of skilled labor in its application, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of the section of a Mauser rifle embodying the bolt mechanism and having my improved sight mounted upon the bolt-stop thereof. Fig.ZisarearendviewofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of the section of the firearm embodying the bolt-housing and bolt-stop corresponding to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, with the bolt removed and the sight detached to show the boltstop. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the bolt and bolt-stop, taken on the line of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a cross-section through the sight on the line :c x of Fig. 1 and viewed from the front or muzzle of the firearm. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the sight-base. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the sight-base viewed from the inner side or that opposite to the side shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a cross-section through the bolt-stop and sight-base on the line y fg of Fig. l and plane @c of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the bolt of a Mauser rifle which is received in and adapted to slide lengthwise of a suitable chamber in the breech of the firearm andA axis of the bore to insert the cartridges into the barrel and extract the shell after firing. In this movement the bolt is prevented from being withdrawn from its guiding-way'or chamber by a suitable pawl or stop B, adapted in its normal position to engage a projection b on the bolt to limit the rearward throw thereof, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7, but which can be readily swung out of the path of the projection, as shown by the full lines of said figure, to permit the bolt to be entered into or removed from the chamber. The frame of said stop comprises the upper and lower parallel flanges a a2, joined by the webs a3 a4, respectively, at its front and rear ends, and the pawl -detent proper, B. The stop is hinged upon a lug D, projecting from the cylindrical housing E of the bolt chamber or guiding-way at the side thereof. Said lug is fitted between the flanges a a2 at the rear end of the stop, and a suitable pivot F is passed vertically down through the flanges and the lug to hinge the stop to the breech. The pivot is provided with a cylindrical slotted screw-head f and has a threaded portion screwed into the upper fiange af, as shown in Fig. 11, to hold it in place. To provide sufficient length of bearing for said threaded portion of the pivot in the flange, a boss c is formed on the upper surface of the flange around the bearing, vas shown in Figs. 4, 5, and l1. The lug D is centrally slotted horizontally to receive the knock-off c2, which it also hinged to the pivot F. The pivot is pointed at its lower end to adapt it for' being readily entered into and passed through the several. parts of the stop nechanism and insure its drawing them to p ace.

Between the upper and lower flanges a a2 is fitted a spring, comprising an outer leaf G, which with the base g of the spring is of the same length as the stop, and a shorter inner leaf g2. Said base is grooved, as Ashown in Fig. 8, to fit tightly into corresponding seats g3 in the front ends of the upper and lower flanges a a2 of the stop, whereby the spring is held in place therein, with the outer leaf G bearing upon the end of the lug D in a state of tension which normally holds the stop pressed against the side of the breech, as shown in Fig. 6, but allows it to be swung outwardly therefrom, as shown in Fig. 7.

The rear end of the stop is cut away on the inner side from its cross-pivotal plane to form a beveled edge e3 to permit such movement of the stop. On the front end of the upper flange a is a vertical projection e, provided and adapted for a thumb-piece by which the l stopmay be operated against the pressure of the spring. The inner leaf g2 engages and operates the knock-ofi e2, as shown in said figure. This mechanism is common in the art 5 but the above description of it is relevant to its relation to and combination with my improved sight, which is described as follows:

The base J of the sight comprises a vertical plate provided with a horizontal flange i at its upper edge substantially of the width of the bolt-stop and a similar lower flange t" parallel therewith at the distance of the vertical width of the stop therefrom. The space between the two flanges therefore will just receive the bolt-stop, and in operation the base is fitted or saddled upon the stop, with the vertical plate in contact with the face of the stop and the fianges engaging its upper and lower sides, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3. The upper flange 'i has a notch i2 at its front end adapted to receive and form aseat or bearing for the thumb-piece e4 of the stop, and the tongue of metal extended on the inner side of said notch is made somewhat shorter than the corresponding outer tongue to reduce the lengthwise movement of the base along the stop required to enter the projection into the notch. At its front end said upper flange has a circular seat i3 adapted to receive and fit around the screw-head of the pivot F, by which the stop is hinged to the lug D, said seat cutting through the edge of the flange owing to the flange being beveled at that point, and thus reduced in width. The lower fiange has a corresponding perforation i4, which is engaged by the pointed end of the pivot projecting below the boltstop. The upper flange has a recess i, milled around the seat i3, to receive the boss c', the length of the recess being proportioned to permit the lengthwise movement for entering the projection or thumb-piece e4 into the notch-i2, hereinbefore referred to. A rrecess h is milled in the vertical plate of the base on its inner side corresponding in breadth to that of the spring-leaf G, which as the bolt-stop is swung outwardly from the breech is sprung out beyond the plane of the face of the stop by the eccentricity of its point of bearing on the lug relative to the center of the pivot, as shown in Fig. 7, leaving a space m between the spring and the web a4 at the rear end of the stop, as shown in said figure. The depth and configuration of the recess 7L corresponds to this movement of the spring, being of the depth of the space m at the rear end and tapering or lessening in depth toward the front end of the stop, as indicated by the shaded upper line of the recess in Fig.

l0 and the dotted lines in Fig. 9. Thus constructed the sight-base in operation may be readily mounted upon the bolt-stop by removing the pivot F and then replacing it after the sight has been seated on the stop, with the projection e4 entered into the notch i2 and the seats 113 i brought into alinement with the pivot-bearing of the stop. By means of the projection and the pivot the sight-base is firmly held in place; but in addition to these devices for securing it a setscrew n may be fitted through the lower flange a2 with its pointed end received and tightly screwed into engagement with a slight corresponding cavity in the stop, as shown in Fig. 8. Thus secured the position and rigidity of the sight-base will not be affected by any usage to which the firearm is ordinarily subjected. The only change required in the original form of the firearm is to cut away the wood of the stock below the bolt-stop to provide a space U of the thickness of the lower flange i of the sight-base and which is adapted to receive the flange when the base is placed upon the bolt-stop.

The vertical plate of the sight-base extends somewhat below the lower fiange when the base is placed upon the bolt-sto The vertical plate of the sight-base exten s somewhat below the lower ange a2 to provide sufficient length for a vertical dovetailed groove R in the face or outer side of the sight, which groove receives and forms the guideway for the vertical limb r of the sight. Said vertical limb is held in place in the groove by means of a clamp r?, seated in the base and engaging the beveled edge of the limb 7, against which it is wedged by the action of a lever-nut r3, which is swung upon a suitable threaded part of a horizontal stud r4, inserted in the sight-base. By swinging the levernut r3 upwardly the wedging contact of the clamp r2 with the limb r will be released, and the limb may then be adjusted at any reuired height, as designated by the coincience of suitable graduations thereon and the point of an indicator 15, secured to the base. The de ression of the lever-nut will then bind the imb in place by the wedging action of the clamp r2; but this particular sight adjusting and clamping mechanism does not exclusively relate to the invention forming the subject of this application and need not here be further described or illustrated. Any form or design of sight ap licable to the sight-base hereinbefore descri ed may be employed in connection therewith.

The sight T is mounted upon the horizontal arm t, extending laterally from the vertical limb r and overhanging the axis of the gun-barrel. It is laterally movable in a groove t2, extending lengthwise of said arm, and is adjusted to position for wind-gage in said groove by means of a suitable screw-arbor u. This mechanism is common to the art and here requires no special description.

I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The combination with the bolt-stop of a firearm of a sight mounted onthe stop and secured thereto by the pivotal stud or bolt by which the stop is hinged to the firearm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the bolt-stop of a firearm of a sight-base saddled upon the stop and secured thereto by engagement of its parts with the pivotal stud or hinge-bolt of the stop, and the thumb-piece or projection thereof, and asight mounted on the base, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with the bolt-stop of a firearm of a sight-base provided with flanges spanning or saddled upon the stop having seats or bearings receiving or engaging the ends of the pivotal stud or hinge-bolt of the stop, and the thumb -piece or projection thereof, and a sight mounted upon the stop, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. rl`he combination with the spring-held bolt-stop of afirearm of a sight-base provided with flanges spanning and saddled upon the stop and having seats or bearings receivin or engaging the head and point of the pivota stud or hinge-bolt of the stop, and the thumbpiece or projection thereof, and a clearancerecess for permitting the action of the stopspring, and a sight mounted on the base, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The herein-described sight-base adapted for being mounted upon the bolt-stop of a firearm, comprising in combination the vertical side plate adapted for engagement with the face of the stop and having a spring-admitting recess, and the upper and lower flanges extended laterally from the side plate and adapted to span and lit upon the upper and lower sides of the bolt-stop, the upper flange having the seats or bearings adapted to engage and receive the head of the pivotal stud or hinge-bolt of the stop, and the thumbpiece or projection thereof, and the lower flange having a seat or bearing for receiving the point of the pivotal stud, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The herein-described sight-base adapted for being mounted upon the bolt-stop of a firearm of the Mauser type, comprising in combination the vertical side plate having the spring-admitting recess t, and the upper and lower flanges t and t', extended laterally from the side plate, and adapted to span and fit upon the upper and lower sides of the boltstop, the upper flange having the circular seat t3 for receiving the head ofthe pivotal stud or bolt of the stop, and the notch t2 for engaging the thumb-piece thereof, and the lower' flange having the seat i4 for receiving the point of the pivotal stud and provided with the set-screw n for engaging the stop, in combination with a sight mounted on the base, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Signed by me at Middlefield, Connecticut, this 8th day of May, 1905.

JAMES VVINDRIDGE.

Witnesses:

IsADELL L. CooK, GEORGE L. BARNES. 

